microphone Oktava MK 219

The MK-219 is a popular large-diaphragm condenser, designed and produced in JSC Oktava`s factory in Tula, Russia. Since its release (in the West) in 1994, it has had a reputation of offering a great value for the price, which at the time was over $500. These mics regularly sell on Ebay for $80-$100 today. Rumour has it that the large diaphragm cap

sule used is based on an old Neumann design and, having done direct comparisons with my Microtech UM70 (a rather more elegant ex-Eastern bloc mic also purporting to use a Neumann capsule design), I can say that the two mics sounded so similar that in a blind test with vocals, I couldn`t tell one from the other. The MK-219 capsule assembly includes a resonator disk  that extends the high frequency of the capsule (+4dB @ 10Hz). Some modders claim this resonator reduces impulse response accuracy and smoothness. Scott Dorsey`s June, 2005 article on MK-219 mods from Recording Magazine has recently been published online; see the link in the sidebar. In it, Dorsey presents the following modifications: The mic dates to 1989, and possibly earlier, although it was not exported until the early to mid 1990s. See photos and details of early MK-219s, circa 1989. As of August, 2013, the MK-219 has been discontinued. Some inventory remains at distributors, but the microphone will no longer be produced, according to Oktava.